PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
Through employment, students are expected to obtain a portfolio of demonstrated accounting and/or financial management related competencies, which are broad in scope and at progressively higher levels of responsibility relative to their advancement in the CGA program. A minimum of 36 months of full-time employment is normally required to achieve the appropriate experiences for professional certification.
The Association will withhold the CGA designation until any experience deficiency has been remedied.
Examples of Practical Experience Profiles:
Students enrolled at the Foundation (1-3) levels are normally employed full time in Entry level or higher accounting and/or financial activities, e.g. accounts payable/accounts receivable clerk, junior accountant, etc.
Students enrolled at the Advanced Studies (4) level are normally employed full time in accounting or financial management activities at an increasingly responsible, intermediate level. Students at this level may actively participate in such activities as financial statement development/interpretation, financial analysis, budgeting, investment management, tax planning, audits and systems analysis.
Students enrolled at the finalist levels are employed full time in accounting, financial, or managerial functions that require a professional level of responsibility and decision-making. Typical experiences may include complex financial analysis, forecasts, strategic planning, policy recommendations, project leadership, business, re-engineering, client relations, corporate audits, etc.
EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENT
Before qualifying for certification, every student must satisfy to the Association that he/she has progressed to a position which requires a well-rounded knowledge of and/or a high degree of responsibility in accounting or finance. It is strongly recommended that every student, while progressing through the program, be employed full-time in accounting or financial functions compatible with his/her academic studies.
Students are encouraged to complete the PEAQ found under MyCGA Web Services; however, you are not required to submit it to your employer until you are in your final year of study. - A Practical Experience Questionnaire is to be submitted when a student begins his/her final year of study.
- No Student will be asked to withdraw from or be prevented from progressing in the study program because he/she is not currently in an acceptable employment or has not attained experience at a level compatible with his/her academic year. However, graduation will be delayed until such time the required experience has been achieved.